Blog Heap of Links for the day 1 January 2016

…“as part of Emanuel Lutchman’s attempt to provide material support to ISIL, he planned to kill innocent civilians on New Year’s Eve in the name of the terrorist organization.… Thankfully, law enforcement was able to intervene and thwart Lutchman's deadly plans.” …was going to carry out an armed attack in the name of ISIS against civilians at a restaurant/bar located in Rochester. Other plans included later joining the Islamic terror group overseas.… mentally vulnerable victim of the FBI's sting operation.…

…Father saw a text on his daughter’s cell phone from a boy asking her to send a bra pic.

This is how he handled it…

From ancient times to the present day, battles have been lost to dire weather, insufficient weaponry and bad luck. But what about those for which poor judgment and bad planning are to blame? …

…the winter storm named Goliath “hit hard at the heart of the Texas dairy industry.” The reduction in the state’s milk supply, and dairy and other financial losses, as well as the emotional impact on farmers of losing their animals, is enormous…

Well, New Year’s Eve went off without any terrorist attacks (so far — Chicago and L.A. are still counting down as I write this). The Munich threat didn’t materialize, and the Dubai skyscraper fire seems to be the worst incident — a terror attack by Amish extremists, according to some sources.

Happy new year, everybody!

In other news, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new year’s address is being made available with Arabic subtitles, thanks to a new smartphone app. …

After researching the history of haggis for several years, a master butcher in Scotland has concluded that the Scottish national dish is not actually native, but was brought in by Viking invaders. He also says that it was originally made from deer, and not sheep.

In migration news, Finland has closed its border with Russia in northern Lapland to bicycle traffic, and will only allow migrants using motor vehicles to cross it.

In other news, the man who was arrested on suspicion of setting the mosque fire in Houston is a long-time attendee of the mosque, and is said to be a devout Muslim who prayed there five times a day. …

…Muhammad Azeem and Mukhtar Ahmad, both in their 20s and from Gujrat, were caught Sept. 20 by agents south of San Diego and just over the international border from Tijuana. When agents checked their identities through databases, they got hits on both of them: Mr. Ahmad popped up as an associate of a known or suspected terrorist, while Mr. Azeem’s information had been shared by a foreign government for intelligence purposes. …

Salon Scrubs Story Of ‘Anti-Muslim’ Arson Arrest In Houston (After Finding Out Was Muslim Arrested)…

About 190 workers, most of them immigrants from Somalia, have been fired from a meat packing and distribution plant on Colorado's Eastern Plains for walking off the job to protest a workplace prayer dispute.… representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) negotiated on their behalf.…